National Forum

Jann Williams

Jann Williams has more than 15 years research and policy experience in the ecology and management of native vegetation, and currently has a research position at RMIT University. She started off her career wanting to be a scientific illustrator, but became fascinated with ecology instead. This led her to undertake an Honours degree in Botany at the University of Melbourne and a PhD in vegetation ecology at the Australian National University.

Most of her career has concentrated on eucalypt dominated forests and woodlands, and in 1997 she published an edited book on this topic with John Woinarski from Darwin. Jann recently finished co-editing a book on fire regimes and biodiversity conservation with Ross Bradstock and Malcolm Gill. A special journal issue on environmental weeds, which Jann co-edited with Carol West from New Zealand, appeared in Austral Ecology in October 2000.

For the last two and a half years Jann has been coordinating the Native Vegetation Research and Development Program that is managed by the Land & Water Australia and focuses on native vegetation on private land. Over the last few months she has also been working as the lead author on the biodiversity theme for the 2001 National State of the Environment Report.

Jann is currently the President of the Ecological Society of Australia and was instrumental in setting up the new journal, Ecological Management and Restoration, which aims to provide stronger links between research and practice.

When Jann isn't working on natural resource management issues, she likes to travel, garden and has a long-standing interest in Aboriginal art and culture. Her main goals for the future are to make a difference to the way Australian's perceive and manage biodiversity and visit Spain (a life long ambition).